Official: U.S., UK, Israel helping Kenya in mall raid inquiry

Kenya has started a forensic investigation into the weekend attack on a Nairobi shopping mall with the help of the United States, Israel, Britain and others, Reuters reported the interior minister as saying during a news briefing on Wednesday.

“We have moved to the next phase,” Joseph ole Lenku said.

He said agencies from Germany and Canada as well as the police agency Interpol were also assisting his country.

The current death toll is at 72 and isn’t expected to rise, according to the official. But he expects more bodies of slain assailants to be found.

Meanwhile, al-Shabab, the terrorist group behind the takeover of the Nairobi mall, claimed Wednesday that the Kenyan government assault team carried out “a demolition” of the building, burying 137 hostages in rubble, the Associated Press reported.

A government spokesman rejected what he described as “wild allegations” and said Kenyan forces were clearing all rooms, firing as they moved and encountering no one.

“Al-Shabab is known for wild allegations and there is absolutely no truth to what they’re saying,” Kenyan government spokesman Manoah Esipisu told The Associated Press. He said no chemical weapons were used - including tear gas.

“Having failed to defeat the mujahideen inside the mall, the Kenyan govt disseminated chemical gases to end the siege,” a tweet from a Twitter account believed to be belonging to al-Shabab said.

(With Reuters and Associated Press)